November 09, 2013

Blaire Hayes enjoys a quiet life, spending her days as a CNA at the local nursing home and nights studying for exams. She prefers things to be as uncomplicated as possible — but when her friends drag her to a party and she bumps into her high school crush, the path of Blaire’s life veers in an entirely different direction than what she had planned for herself.

Jason Bryant created a nice life away from his hometown, putting distance between himself and the suffocating sadness of his father’s death. But when he finds out his grandfather’s health is deteriorating, he decides he must return home. Partying was not on his agenda while in town, but it’s how he bumps into Blaire Hayes—the girl he’d always thought of in high school as an unobtainable pass.

Together the two learn there are moments in life that hold within them all the power to break you…

November 06, 2013

Years ago, demons were forced out of the earth’s realm by a band of supernatural fighters, banished from the place and its people in the aftermath of a horrific war. It should’ve ended there – would’ve – if not for the final demon’s claw snagging on the open portal. What felt like victory became only a reprieve, the winning warriors understanding that the tear would spread, and the demons eventually would escape exile. It was only a matter of time, and a need for future defense – a question of genetics and essences, magic and power.

Now, centuries later, a new army must bind together – one of teenagers with inhuman potentials and abilities…

AJ went to bed Sunday night an average teenage girl, clumsy and athletically lacking. So when she wakes up Monday morning with super-strength, she does what any rational person would do: She goes into denial. When a smoking hot guy in a suit shows up, rambling about the end of the war and demons spilling through some kind of rift, she refuses to listen, telling herself he’s insane. Except weird things just won’t quit happening, and the guy keeps popping up in her life, trying to explain the changes suddenly happening within her. Is she crazy, or is this guy… not so crazy after all?

Guest post by Connie L. Smith

There are a few things that I absolutely stink at:

1) Folding a fitted sheet.

2) Driving.

3) Writing a guest blog post.

Luckily I didn’t have to drive anywhere or fold a fitted sheet to have this come to pass. Still, it’s a complex situation. I want to write something that will snag your interest, but not something so ridiculous that you’re basically thinking, ‘Why in the world would she write that???’

So where exactly do I draw the line? Can I tell you about the tiny vampires that lived in my dorm at college? Would it be a bit too much to ramble about my interest in Julio-Claudian emperors and their… quirks? Is it too bland to just tell you about my favorite breakfast cereal?

This, I think, is one of the overlooked complications of an author’s life. Being on blogs helps you get exposure, and hopefully gets people to consider reading the book you’ve spent a good chunk of time on, but it leaves you with an overwhelming sense of impeding doom. You know. Looking at your calendar, realizing you have four days until it posts, noting that you have nothing important to say, and preparing yourself for the meteor that will no doubt crash into your house if you miss that deadline. Okay, so maybe that won’t happen. But a bunch of people will be reading it, experiencing your writing for the first time, and you want it to be good.

Well, maybe not good, but memorable. Persuadable. Different.

Like the rest of writing, I think the key might be in finding your own techniques and preferences, and going with them. Writing is not a mathematic equation, or a structured fortification that you have to build with exact guidelines so the whole thing doesn’t fall to pieces. You might love writing with strong vocabulary, while another reader/author thinks simpler is better. One publisher might want limited omniscience from the narrator, while another wants to know what’s in everyone’s head. Some things contradict, and some are open for approval. You might agree, or you might have other inclinations.

Any tips that others give you could very well be helpful, but they’re to be used at your discretion. It is your work, after all. It should be something you’d want to read, regardless of whether or not the authors you follow on Twitter agree with your preferences.

That, to me, is one of the most important ingredients in being the author of books you can be proud of. Write what you want, what you like, and do it to your best ability. Read and read and read some more until you discover what you do like, and hold to that as you journey through your works. Ideally you’ll grow, but don’t lose sight of who you are as an author by concentrating on who other people say you need to be.

Maybe the same thing can be said for blogging. I had a livejournal for years, and I had so many updates on that thing. But my readers were mostly friends who knew me enough to make the experience personal. Switching from personal updates about my life to a more general line of topics is an odd transition, but one that I’m attempting to learn to do. Maybe the secret in learning that is to read and read and read other blogs, discover what I like, and grow as a guest blogger.